PETA pokes Pokémon over animal rights

The controversial animal rights group is at it again, this time taking aim at Nintendo's Pokemon franchise. PETA has countered the newly released Pokémon Black/White Version 2 with a parody game called Pokémon Black And Blue, which depicts the collectible critters as abused animals who have been severely mistreated by their handlers.

According to PETA, the game "will give kids a chance to help Pikachu and his Pokémon pals fight their cruel oppressors and gain their freedom. PETA's Pokémon Black and Blue makes it clear that Pokémon and other nonhuman species are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment."

In the browser-based game, players use battered Pokemon to take down the trainers. Along the way they advocate for their own well-being and even link out to videos designed to highlight the horrors of animal abuse.

"Games such as Pokémon send kids the wrong message that exploiting and abusing those who are defenseless is acceptable when it's not," says PETA Director of Marketing Innovations Joel Bartlett.